Beowulf & Grendel Questions
Name: _________________________
Guided Movie Questions
Consider and answer the following questions as you view the film. Provide specific details and quotes in
your answers to enhance discussion after the film. Be sure to return to previously answered questions as
new information presents itself.
1. “Great are the tales of the Spear-Danes/How they broke and bloodied their foes/How they tamed the northern
seas/Some tales sail, others sink/ Below the waves but no less true”. The movie begins with the first lines of the
famous epic poem. What is the meaning of this quote? Why do you think it is that Beowulf has survived while
others have not?
2. The prologue entitled, A Hate is Born, explains the origin of Grendel and his anger toward men. How is this
prologue different from the actual text?
3. Does the appearance of Grendel, both young and/or old, differ from yours based on the text? How so?
4. Does this explanation of Grendel’s hatred change your opinion of him at all? How so?
5. How are we introduced to Beowulf in the movie? What challenge has he just overcome? Does this seem like an
appropriate way to introduce the character?
6. Who is Selma? What role does she play? Was her character present in the poem or created for the movie?
7. What evidence is there in the movie for a religious transition taking place? Provide specific examples.
Beowulf & Grendel Questions
Name: _________________________
8. Does the actor playing Hrothgar accurately portray the “grief stricken king”? Given this new interpretation of the
origins of Grendel, do you feel more or less sorry for the king?
9. Does the actor playing Beowulf accurately portray the great hero or does he perhaps show you a different side
of the character? How does this portrayal compare with your impressions based on the text? Does Beowulf
seem as strong, smart, arrogant, etc.?
10. Why Does Hrothgar get so upset when Beowulf asks him about the origins of Grendel?
11. What do the Geats break that makes Grendel so angry?
12. How does the battle with Grendel differ from the text?
13. How does the appearance of Grendel’s mother differ from your own interpretation of the text?
14. Compared with the text, what Is Beowulf’s attitude toward Grendel? What evidence is there to support your
answer?
15. How does the movie, Beowulf & Grendel, adhere to Joseph Campbell’s concept of the Monomyth? Provide some
examples of the different stages of the quest.